


A Manner of Traveling

by Tabithian



Series: Jaybird's Diner [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Red Robin (Comics), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-10
Updated: 2013-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-04 20:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/714525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabithian/pseuds/Tabithian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason's had worse ideas. He just can't think of one right now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Manner of Traveling

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt from teakat.

Jason's had worse ideas. He just can't think of one right now.

Asking Roy to teach him how to ballroom dance in the middle of one of their sparring matches is probably up near the top, though.

“You want me to do what, now?” Roy asks, staring at Jason like he's thinks he hit Jason too hard.

Jason drops his hands and looks at Roy like he knows the jackass has been hit in the head one too many times. 

“I asked if you could - “

“Oh my God,” Roy says. “I mean, Steph told me, but.” 

Roy starts laughing, and doesn't stop until Jason punches him. Roy's laughing too hard to put up a real defense and goes down in a laughing pile of jackass.

“Shut it,” Jason grumbles, holding his hand out to help Roy up.

Roy shakes his head, still laughing as he lets Jason pull him to his feet. “You really messed up, huh?”

Jason wonders what it says about him that he was the only one to be surprised that Tim is _the_ Tim Drake who stands to take over Drake Industries one day. The same Tim Drake who is close friends with the Wayne family and hobnobs with Gotham's social elite.

“You're kind of an idiot,” Roy says, watching him. “I mean. Really.”

“I have better things to do than read the gossip column, Harper,” Jason growls.

“How could you not know?” Roy asks, incredulous. “They're always on the news!”

Not strictly true, and anyway. 

The Tim Jason's caught glimpses of on television, heard about in the papers, isn't the same one who hangs out at Jaybird's when he's home from school. Not the same guy who comes into the diner in an old hoodie and faded jeans, glasses sitting crooked on his face that Jason grumbles about even as he adjusts them. The Tim whose hair is getting longer each time Jason sees him, and grins at Jason when he tugs on the little ponytail he tends to put it in. 

That's not the same Tim who will argue with Cullen about things like comic books and television shows. Isn't the same Tim who laughs at Dean's terrible jokes and fires back with equally horrible ones he heard from his “sort of brother” Dick.

 _Dick Grayson_ , and speaking of - 

“How the hell did you never tell me that Kory and you know Dick Grayson, you asshole?”

Roy stares at him. “Jason,” he says slowly. “You've met him.”

“What?”

Roy grins at him. “That last fundraiser for the gym?”

Jason has to think about it for a moment. Roy organizes several fundraisers for the gym every year, and the last one had been around Halloween. A costume party he'd forced Jason to come to where Roy had introduced him to his friend who seemed to think disco was making a comeback.

“Oh, Jesus,” Jason groans. 

“Not that I'm not flattered, because I am,” Roy says. “But why ask me? I'm sure Kory wouldn't mind helping you out.”

Jason's ribs are proof that she most definitely would not, actually. She's very fond of Tim and Dick is her ex and really, how did Jason not know any of this? (Also, asking someone for a favor while sparring with them is never a bright idea when they're annoyed with you.)

“Jason,” Roy says, seeing the look on his face. “What did you _do_?”

Jason's not a complete idiot. (Mostly.)

Finding out who Tim was had been a surprise, but not something that changed anything. 

Not that, no.

It was the damn paparazzi, always running after Tim hoping to discover some kind of scandal, some dirty little secret. 

Made worse when the paparazzi chased Tim into Jaybird's and set up camp outside. Maybe said a few things he shouldn't have when the damn vultures wouldn't leave his people alone, fueled by the thought that maybe _he_ was Tim's dirty little secret, and Jason's goddamned temper.

“Jesus Christ, Jason.”

“Shut it.”

The look on Tim's face, when he'd left the diner. The look on _Steph's_ face when she slapped the official invitation to the Wayne gala Tim had meant to give him against his chest.

Her angry, “ _Fix it_ , Boss,” before throwing her apron down and following Tim out of the diner with Cullen in tow.

Dean's slow clap and flat, “You're a fucking moron, Todd.” 

Jason sighs, running a hand over his face. “Are you going to help me or not?”

********

Jason knows he's horribly out of place. All the fancy clothes in the world aren't going to be able to hide who – what - he is, but.

“Master Todd, I presume?”

Jason's never heard anyone say his name with such distaste. Not even Dick or Bruce and his demon spawn,, and why, why, _why_ did he ever think they would be the difficult ones tonight?

“You must be Alfred,” Jason says, taking a moment to study the man. He's just the way Tim described him, and even more terrifying for it.

Alfred _hmms_ , looking Jason over. Whatever he sees must satisfy him because his voice is much warmer when he says, “Master Timothy is on the dance floor at the moment.” 

Jason looks over and sees Tim dancing with a beautiful woman with dark hair, laughing at whatever Tim's saying.

She happens to look up just at that moment, eyes narrowing when she sees him.

“Quite a lovely young woman,” Alfred says, glancing at Jason.

Jason smiles, because Cass looks fantastic. 

“She is,” Jason agrees. Looks at Alfred. “Do you think she'd mind if I borrowed her dance partner?”

Alfred considers it for long moment. “All due care should be taken,” he finally says. “She's quite fond of Master Timothy.”

“She's not the only one,” Jason says. 

He wonders if Tim realizes how damn protective his family is when it comes to him, even the little demon spawn.

“Indeed,” Alfred says, amused. 

Jason straightens his shoulders and crosses the dance floor, dodging couples as he goes. Cass watches him approach, silent warning in her eyes.

“May I cut in?” Jason asks, so damn glad that Tim has people like her who love him so fiercely.

Tim blinks, tries for a smile. “Jason.”

Cass looks between them, not sure if she should leave them alone, and Tim.

“It's okay, Cass,” he says, and this time the smile is real enough for her sake. “Everything's fine.”

The look on Cass' face at that says she's anything but convinced, but she gives in. Stops to pull Tim into a tight embrace, whispering something in his ear that makes him laugh, startled. 

They watch her walk away, graceful and poised.

“I didn't expect you to come,” Tim says, avoiding Jason's eyes.

Jason sighs. “Yeah, I'm - “

“You're not my dirty little secret,” Tim blurts, turning to Jason. 

The people close to them look over, surprised.. 

“Tim,” Jason says. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

Tim blinks, and then seems to notice their audience. 

“Oh, um. This way,” he says, and leads Jason out of the room away from the press of eyes around them.

They end up in a small room just off the ballroom. They can hear the music from the ballroom, a low, indistinct murmur of sound.

Tim moves away from Jason to turn the lights on and keeps distance between them, awkward the way he was around Jason when they first met. 

“I'm an idiot,” Jason says. “Tim, I'm sorry.”

Not enough. Nowhere near, but it's a start.

Tim looks at him, wary. Hopeful.

“I thought you knew who I was and didn't care, before,” Tim says. “And. It's was nice, being at the diner as _me_ , you know? It's different in San Francisco, but here in Gotham?” 

Tim's laugh hurts to hear, so fucking wrong. 

“We're big news here,” he says, gesturing back to the ballroom where Dick and Bruce and the rest of his family are. “The smallest thing, and it ends up in the news.”

That damned laugh again.

“I wanted to keep this for myself a little longer,” Tim says, finally looking at Jason. “I wanted to be selfish for once.”

Jason wants to hurt whoever made Tim feel that wanting to have a life was selfish.

“Tim,” he says. He's shit at this, better at breaking things than fixing them. “May I have this dance?”

He's also shit at dancing, Roy's crash course notwithstanding, but.

Tim just looks at him.

“I put on a damn tux,” Jason says, taking a step toward Tim. “I got _Roy_ to teach me how to dance.” (For Tim, Jason doesn't say, but knows Tim hears all the same.)

“You what?” Tim asks.

Jason grimaces. “Don't ask.”

He also braved Tim's family one by one to get here, and all of it was worth it. (For Tim.)

Tim ducks his head, but not before Jason sees the smile on his face. Jason holds a hand out, waiting for Tim to make a decision.

“I'm sorry,” Jason says, soft. Careful with Tim the way he hasn't been. “You need to remember I'm an idiot.” (Always.)

Tim's laugh isn't what it should be, but it's so much better than it was moments ago. “That's what Steph and Cullen told me,” he admits. 

“Those two,” Jason sighs. He's so damn lucky to have them. To have _Tim_ , if he'll have him after this goddamn mess of things Jason's made. 

Tim smiles, small, uncertain, as he takes Jason's hand. 

Lets him lead, even though Jason's a fucking terrible dancer but he doesn't step on Tim's toes, and that's more than he could have hoped for tonight. (Small steps.)


End file.
